


new glasses

by vanicanela



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Manga Spoilers, Pre-Garden of Light, comfort/hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 12:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16450373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanicanela/pseuds/vanicanela
Summary: Eiji and Sing go to buy glasses.





	new glasses

“What about these?”

Sing ponders Eiji’s appearance and analyzes the soft features of his face, dark eyes behind the thick, ebony frame of the glasses he’s trying out. Apparently it’s a new model that’s being plenty popular among young people, modern and elegant, but Sing shakes his head.

“They don’t suit you. Too thick. You look weird.”

Eiji lets out a long-suffering sigh, passing a hand through his already disarrayed hair. When he rolls his eyes, a sign of his increasing irritation, it’s obvious the hour they have spent trying out glasses is starting to wear him out. Sing bites his bottom lip to contain a smirk from betraying his amusement.

“You’re being far pickier than I would’ve thought,” declares the man, closing his eyes and massaging his temples, a habit he’s picked from the many weeks he spent suffering from headaches until Sing forced him to go to the medic. 

“Well, it’s your fault for asking for my help.”

“I thought it would be quicker if I had someone else to help me decide.” Eiji turns, taking off the glasses, but Sing can tell he’s trying to contain a smile. He’s always been quick to forgive, too kind to hold grudges. “I didn’t know you had such a fashion sense that you would reject every frame I’ve tried for the past hour.”

Sing shrugs, cringing internally when he reasons that Yut-Lung must be rubbing off on him. “It’s strange to see you with glasses.”

Sing doesn’t explain how most of the frames change Eiji’s face and make him look older, accentuating the lines around his eyes and the growing hair that nowadays he has to tie in a half up-do to keep it away from his face. He doesn’t elaborate in how, although it has already been four years since _his_ death, they seem to make him more closed off and lonely.

There are also those who are really awful though and Sing wonders how they can even be in exhibition, let alone _sell_.

“Maybe I should just stick with contacts,” muses Eiji with the ghost of a smile lifting the corners of his lips, walking away to give the rejected glasses to the exhausted clerk that has evidently lost hope they will find something to buy that day.

“Maybe,” he agrees quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. He listens to Eiji and the clerk discussing about the cost of contacts lenses absently, focusing in the soft cadence of Eiji’s voice and not the words spoken while he watches the countless frames the optic has in store. A frame, silver and thin, catches his eye even though it’s almost hidden behind a few other thicker and more colorful glasses.

His breath catches in his throat. 

“Sing, I think I’ll decide to purchase contacts lenses or else I will spend the rest of my life in this shop,” says Eiji, approaching him, but Sing has to blink a few times and remind himself to breathe to get rid of the ghost behind his eyelids. The Japanese young man frowns, noticing his eyes fixed on the glasses. “Oh? What is it? You found some glasses you like?”

Before he can dismiss it, Eiji follows his gaze. He hears a tiny, quiet gasp when his eyes lock with the glasses and Sing’s heart crumbles.

The change is immediate. Eiji’s body turns rigid; his eyes are hazed and mind lost in a memory that even though Sing doesn’t understand he recognizes it for what it is: a ghost that still doesn’t free Eiji from his chains, one that he doesn’t even want to escape from.

The glasses are identical to the ones Ash held in his hand that day in the library. Sing never saw him wearing them, but he’s certain Eiji did.

“We should go,” whispers Sing, alarmed, and though his voice was as gentle as he could possibly muster it to be Eiji startles violently, as if woken up from a nightmare.

“Sir,” the clerk calls uncertainly, holding a box of contact lenses in her left hand, “are you going to buy the contacts then?”

Sing ignores her, grabbing Eiji’s hand cautiously and squeezing it gently. It’s cold and slightly sweaty, but the grip seems to ground him and he blinks slowly, eyes brimming with tears.

Eiji lets go of his hand, fingers slipping through his like water, and approaches the frame. Sing watches him helplessly, clenching his jaw. His hands tremble when he lifts them to touch the glasses.

“I had… forgotten…” he mumbles, voice odd and full of emotion, “I had forgotten he used to… wear glasses… a frame just like this one.”

Sing curses under his breath.

“Do you… want to try them out, sir?” asks the clerk, her tone hesitatingly hopeful and totally oblivious to the increasing tension in the air. “They’re a bit of an old model, you see, but I’m sure they’ll look…”

“I’m taking them.” Eiji’s words possess an edge he had a long time without hearing, and just like that Sing knows it’s useless to try to argue with him. The clerk _beams_ while relief exudes from her, grabbing the frame and putting it in its case along with the paper that has scribbled the crystals’ formula. He sighs deeply, attempting to swallow the lump in his throat and waiting for Eiji to pay.

The walk home is silent. Sing tries to ignore Eiji’s quiet sniffles, the sound of his sleeves rubbing against his eyes to contain the overflowing tears. He knows physical contact in this moment is not welcome and there is nothing he can do unless he wants him to have a meltdown in the middle of the street. 

As soon as they arrive in the apartment Eiji locks himself up in his room and Sing knows firsthand he won’t be out for dinner. Nevertheless, he stays, ignoring the knot that tightens painfully in his stomach and playing absentmindedly with Buddy.

The ghosts during the night will be too present for Eiji to be alone. And, maybe, they will be for Sing too.

 

 

Two weeks later, when Sing arrives to the apartment for dinner, Eiji is waiting for him. When he locks his gaze with his, Sing has the feeling that Eiji’s not really _looking_ at him, and the suspicion is confirmed in the dullness that resides in his eyes.

He’s holding something in his hands.

“I went to pick them up today,” he explains quietly, without any _welcome home_ or _how was your day_ , “would you tell me how they look?”

“You should’ve done that before you bought them,” he replies halfheartedly. Eiji smiles something that looks more like a grimace, painful and twisted.

“Just do it, please.”

Sing nods and guilt swirls in his stomach. He knows it’s his fault. If he had said yes to the previous glasses and wouldn’t have been so picky he never would’ve spotted those cursed glasses in the first place and sent Eiji in a spiral of memories and ghosts. Eiji is strong, but there is so much that a person can bear.

When he puts them on, maybe the worst thing is that they actually look good on him. 

The curves of the glasses complement the gentle lines of Eiji’s face, the thin silver frame standing out against his raven hair. They make him look slightly older, more mature. Sing has heard about people that look more beautiful with glasses, and although he didn’t believe it now he thinks it might be true. 

Eiji looks up at him and something clears in his eyes, now the chestnut color a warmer, more present shade. He knows that it is him experiencing a sharper world after months of a steadily blurring sight, but Sing has always liked pretending.

He tries to smile.

“They suit you just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Garden of Light ended me, but I fell in love with Eiji and Sing's bond. When I saw Eiji with glasses this came to my mind and I couldn't resist writing it. I hope you liked it. Please leave your thoughts in the comments :)


End file.
